


One Shot

by InTheArmsofaThief



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky Barnes & Clint Barton Friendship, about the election, political assissination, political values, talks about killing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-09
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-30 02:15:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8514730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheArmsofaThief/pseuds/InTheArmsofaThief
Summary: Steve doesn't know how he feels about Bucky's plan to assassinate the new president elect.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I rage wrote this once I finally stopped crying and took a shower this morning. 
> 
> Originally posted on my tumblr [here](http://inthearmsofathief.tumblr.com/post/152961554269/steve-pinched-the-bridge-of-his-nose-trying-to)
> 
> Thanks for reading.
> 
> [FIND ME ON TUMBLR](http://www.inthearmsofathief.tumblr.com)
> 
> Also if you want to check out any of my short films/web series you can find me on YouTube as [Amy Berserk](http://www.youtube.com/c/amyberserk)

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to collect his thoughts on the matter. What was wrong with him that he was even considering this? “I don’t make a habit of killing people, Buck.”

“What are you talking about? We killed the shit out of nazis,” Bucky said cleaning out his favorite sniper riffle.

“That was war. Both parties knew what they were engaged in. Casualties were expected.” Steve stood up and walked towards the window. He wished he were in his flat where he could lean against the windowsill and breath in what constituted as fresh air in Brooklyn. But they were at the Tower and the floor to wall didn’t open. It was at least a nice view of central park. “I can’t ethically get behind this. We’d be just as bad as Hydra.”

“He probably is Hydra!” Bucky protested. “Neo Nazis have publicly supported the man. And he’s made it very clear he wants to do to the muslims what Hitler did to the jews.”. Bucky reassembled his riffle in a matter of seconds with flawless efficiency.

“You’re not assassinating the president!” Steve snapped. He didn’t like the election results, but he believed in democracy. This wasn’t how this battle should be fought.

“Future president,” Bucky reminded him. “Hasn’t been sworn in yet. Besides he wouldn’t be the first one I killed. At least this time I’m doing it out of my own political outrage.”

Steve stood there gapping. They never really talked about the Winter Solider’s hit list. Most of it was blacked out, even in the files Natasha data dumped. Before Steve could say anything, Clint fell from the vent system. He wasn’t sure why Tony hadn’t modified the building to prevent that kind of break in, but maybe it was so Clint could have his fun.

“Was it JFK? Please tell me it was JFK because then I win a bet against Nat,” Clint grinned.

“Well in that case I won’t confirm or deny,” Bucky smirked.

“You’re an asshole, Barnes,” Clint pouted before flopping himself on the couch. “So what’s all this about killing the president?”

“No ones killing the president!” Steve insisted. Both Bucky and Clint ignored him.

“He’s a terrible man who shouldn’t be leading this country,” Bucky said, picking up his second favorite riffle to clean it. “Either I kill him now or a new civil war breaks out and there’s an even higher death count.”

“That sounds an awful lot like Hydras plan to take out threats before they happen,” Steve reminded him.

Clint waved him off. “That’s politics, not a giant space laser. The real issue is you have to off the VP elect too. He’s worse, just a lot more quiet about it.”

Bucky shrugged. “I could do that.”

“Aw, I wanted to come,” Clint said.

Steve didn’t know where he went wrong in his life.

“I think your arrows are a little conspicuous,” Bucky huffed.

“Nah, man, I may prefer a bow but it’s not like I’ve never held a gun before!” Clint picked up one of the other riffles on the table and quickly disassembled and reassembled it. “Boom. Besides, how cool would it look if they went down simultaneously.” Clint finger gunned, aiming for Bucky’s forehead.

Bucky looked Clint up and down. “Pretty cool,” he agreed.

“That’s my man!”

“How can you guys seriously be considering this?” Steve asked. He ignored the part of him that just wanted to let them loose, but he couldn’t stop wondering where it ended. Where would one assassination end and preemptive killing to “keep the peace” begin? Even Fury had been fooled into thinking that kind of fear and control was a good plan. Steve wasn’t sure he could be a part of this.

“If these men had their way,” Clint said, “and they will. You two and people like you wouldn’t be allowed to be together. The VP supports conversion therapy. And that’s a fight we’re still fighting. We only just got marriage equality. It would be so easy for them to rip that away again. Not to mention all their other views that would set us back to before the civil rights movement. Stop and think for a moment. Do you really want life to go back to the way it was when you were growing up?”

Steve thought of the fear. How even in his queer neighborhood it wasn’t safe to be public about loving another person of the same gender. He thought about all the people he met over seas. How their lives had been ruined by the war and Hitler’s plans for a white utopia. He thought about how if that utopia were built on American soil, another war would be fought and the life’s that would be ruined would be the blacks and the latinx and anyone from the middle east regardless of religion. He thought about growing up starving because even a well paid nursing position wasn’t enough for rent and food for single mother and child. He thought about how the same was still true today and would likely get worse.

He selfishly thought of his tentative relationship with Bucky and how he might never be able to make it public without fear of prosecution. He idly thought _what could they do to us, we’re super soldiers._ Then he thought of all the men and women out there who weren’t. Who were just scared. Not just that these two men would be in charge of the country, but because the country voted for these two men. It means that more than half the country are still bigots. Bigots who hate and will cause hate crimes to rise.

Steve thought of all the times he was beaten up in back alleys, being picked on for being a fairy, or Irish, or trying to stop others from harassing a woman or a black neighbor.

Steve thought. While he couldn’t be a part of this, he wasn’t sure if he could stop them either.

“I didn’t hear any of this conversation,” he told them, heading towards the elevator. “Now I’ve got a Stark gala to attend tomorrow. I know it’s not really your thing, but it would be good to show your faces.” He looked over Clint and Bucky who were staring at him with questioning looks. Stark never wanted them there because they would inevitably make a scene. And the only one allowed to do that was Tony. “I suppose if it would help, I’m sure Nat still has those special image masks. Bruce and Lang could pose as you two for a little while. Enough time for pictures.”

Steve entered the elevator. Clint saluted him as the doors closed. Bucky rolled his eyes with a grin.

Steve wished he could fight all wars with love and optimism. They could get him far. But he had to crash a plane to kill off Johann Schmidt. If he had the chance to kill him sooner, he would have taken it. Or the chance to punch out the real Hitler.

He’d changed since coming out of the ice, since living in this new world. But knowing it would revert back to his old one… it was enough to change him too. If only for this one shot.


End file.
